I never thought I’d spend a night in a convent, let alone enjoy it. The place we stayed was really nice even though it was really cold, and I thought it was a nice break from the noisy apartment we’d stayed at in Florence.

And if I thought the convent was lovely, I was sure in for a surprise when I saw the rest of Poppi. Gabi, Zayne, Phil, Joe, and I explored the town for a while during our free time the first day. We entered many little shops selling all kinds of food but only actually stopped at the little supermarket and one coffee shop. It was interesting staying in a place where so few people spoke any English. Thankfully, our experiences in other cities made the language barrier a little bit easier to navigate around. We all were able to order the food that we wanted without issue.

Visiting the castle of Romena was definitely my favorite part about Poppi. Not only were we able to see ruins (my favorite thing about Italy), but we got to hike in addition! I absolutely love hiking and the outdoors in general so that part made the experience even better for me. Jamie and I even got to do some gymnastics in front of one of the castle’s towers, which was cool because I’m usually doing that stuff alone.

The Poppi castle was also really cool. I was amazed at how well preserved the artwork on the walls was. Hearing a thunderstorm from inside a building with no capabilities of muffling the sound was also pretty awesome. I love thunder and it made me feel closer to nature.

All in all, I’m glad we visited Poppi. I’d never heard of it before this trip but now I have an informed knowledge of how utterly beautiful the place is, especially the view of the mountains that surround the town. I’d definitely visit this place again.